How to Get Started With Precision Metal Stamping For Your Application
Precision metal stamping encompasses several manufacturing techniques that transform raw materials into precise, custom components. The metal stamping process is highly versatile and can be used to create parts that adhere to extremely tight-tolerances. Industries ranging from aerospace to medical, automotive, and many others rely on precision metal stamping services from Thomson Lamination Company. Read on to learn more about how the process works and decide if it’s right for your application.
What is Precision Metal Stamping?
Precision metal stamping is a manufacturing process that uses equipment outfitted with dies to transform coils or blanks of sheet metal into a new, custom shape. Precision stamping is an excellent manufacturing technique for producing highly precise metal parts, and it is also easily automated. Once the dies are set and the equipment is programmed, it can run automatically.
This ease of automation brings two significant benefits to precision metal stamping: cost efficiency and consistency. Metal stamping is an excellent manufacturing process for the high-volume production of complex parts, and its high-volume capabilities keep labor costs low. Additionally, the automated nature of precision metal stamping ensures parts maintain a high degree of accuracy.
The Process of Precision Metal Stamping
To ensure precision stamped parts adhere to the highest possible degree of accuracy, most stamping operations begin with computer modeling. During this process, the computer simulates how a metal will react to the stamping process to verify the design before production begins. There are many stamping procedures that can be performed, however, some of the most popular procedures are:
- Wire forming
- Fine blanking
- Fourslide stamping
- Progressive stamping
- Deep drawing
Is Precision Metal Stamping Right for Your Application?
Numerous industries rely on precision metal stamping for highly accurate components that adhere to tight-tolerances and stringent industry-specific regulations. At Thomson Lamination Company, we have decades of experience meeting the needs of the automotive, aerospace, medical, energy, and defense industries.
Automotive
The automotive industry relies on stamping to produce many structural and functional parts for vehicle frames and bodies, steering systems, electrical systems, and more. Examples of commonly produced automobile parts include:
- Wire forms
- Brackets and hangers
- Electrical connections and terminals
Aerospace
In the aerospace industry, components are subject to stringent regulations and manufacturing requirements. These guidelines are in place to ensure aircraft personnel and passenger safety. To comply with these regulations, Thomson Lamination maintains Mil-spec and RoHS compliance. Some of the most common metal-stamped parts for aerospace applications include:
- Assemblies
- Brackets
- Bushings
- Laminations
- Lead frames
- Shields
- Terminals
- Wire forms
Medical Devices
The medical industry has many strict standards that must be adhered to when producing medical device components. Both standard and custom stampings are performed to create medical devices such as:
- Connectors, couplings, fittings
- Equipment sleeves and housings
- Implants and prosthetics
- Pump and motor components
- Surgical equipment and instruments
- Temperature probes
Electrical Distribution
Electrical distribution professionals utilize numerous stamped metal parts to create circuit breaker components, distribution boxes, transformers, switches, and other critical equipment, such as:
- Brackets
- Clips
- Contacts
- Inserts
- Shields
- Terminals
Appliances
Precision-stamped metal parts are found in a wide range of commercial and residential appliances, including:
- Automatic garage doors
- Dryers
- Dishwashers
- Garbage disposals
- Grills
- HVAC units
- Irrigation systems
- Ovens
Renewable Energy
The renewable energy industry includes several fields, such as solar, geothermal, wind, and other types of clean energy operations. As the industry grows due to public demand for greater sustainability, the need for reliable stamped parts likewise increases. Power generation and distribution systems and equipment all require a variety of stamped components to operate. Some of the most commonly produced stamped components for the renewable energy sector include:
- Antennas
- Cases, inserts, and retainers
- Clips and brackets
- Grounding straps and busbars
- Heat sinks
- Plates
- Wind turbine fan blades
Precision Metal Stamping From Thomson Lamination
For nearly 60 years, Thomson Lamination has been a trusted provider of superior precision metal stamped laminations and components. Our stamped metal products are of the finest quality and feature exceptionally tight tolerances for highly complex, high-quality motor laminations. We always adhere to the most stringent manufacturing standards and tolerances.
Our advanced stamping capabilities allow us the ability to offer a broad range of customization capabilities for motor laminations and other components. Our catalog contains over 1,500 dies for producing laminations, and we can build custom proprietary dies for clients with unique needs. Our strict quality control measures are implemented throughout all of our manufacturing processes, and comply with numerous stringent industry standards, including:
- ITAR
- REACH
- AS9100/prEN9100
- NADCAP heat treating
- NADCAP welding
- ISO 9001:2015
To learn more about our precision metal stamping capabilities for your industry, contact our team today. To get started on your next stamping project, request a quote.
